International Student Entry Requirements

International students seeking to apply to the Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE) will need to submit the following as part of the application process. Please be ready to submit all of the following as part of your application to AIE:

Proof of Work or Student Visa

Proof of English Language Proficiency

Proof of High School Graduation, or Equivalent

Art or Programming Portfolio

Application for Admission

250 Word Essay

AIE reserves the right to request additional documentation and paperwork as proof during the application process for international students. In addition, AIE cannot give you an admission decision until all materials have been submitted and reviewed by our admissions department.

Proof of Work or Student Visa

IELTS Equivalent Overall Score: 5.5 (with a minimum score of 6.0 for Writing, and 7.0 for Listening). AIE also accepts TOEFL and may accept PTE on a case-by-case basis.

Students who do not meet the English requirements will be given a Provisional Letter of Offer if they are accepted. In this situation, you will be required to enroll in a suitable English language course prior to commencing your studies at AIE. AIE works with many providers near our United State campuses and will be able to help you with your choice of language center.

This requirement does not apply to international applicants coming from English speaking countries, such as Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, etc.

Proof of High School Graduation, or Equivalent

Completion of high school or equivalent in your home country is required for all international applicants, and must be submitted prior to enrollment in any AIE course in the United States. If you are currently in high school, or will complete the equivalent in your home country prior to the start of the term, then you may receive a contingent evaluation. You must still submit records or proof demonstrating that you are on track to meet this requirement of admission. If, at the start of the term, you have not completed this requirement then you will not be able to pursue your course of study at AIE for the school year.

Art or Programming Portfolio

AIE requires that international students submit an art or portfolio, dependent on which course of study they are seeing to enroll in. This requirement is the most important aspect of the application in determining if the prospective student is the right fit for AIE, and that AIE is the right fit for the prospective student.

Note: that you will also need to complete an interview with a faculty member to go over your portfolio. This may be done online (Skype).

Art Portfolio Guidelines:Applicants to AIE's game and film art courses must demonstrate their creative abilities through a basic art portfolio containing 2D or 3D examples. AIE does not expect students to have fully completed or highly professional portfolio pieces – just some evidence of creative ability and talent in drawings, sculpture, and/or basic animation. Strong art portfolios will demonstrate an advanced understanding of either 2D or 3D work, including various drawings from life and from fantasy. Note that AIE's art track uses some 2D art, but the focus will be on 3D.

Your art portfolio must be submitted for review as part of the application process. Past students have submitted their portfolios electronically (link to deviantART or Behance, email attachments, Skype, etc.) or by sending in a physical copy (CD or flash drive). Any physical copy submitted will not be returned to the applicant.

Programming Portfolio Guidelines: If you have an aptitude for programming and logic and a passion for games, we want to talk with you! We look for a number of things in our programming students. Specifically, we look for aptitude in software development, information technology, math, and physics. These are useful indicators of a great programming student, but not always essential. The portfolio for programming students should demonstrate these aptitudes through examples of code you have written, working programs, high marks in school work.

Your portfolio must be submitted for review as part of the application process. Past students have submitted their portfolios electronically (email attachments, Skype, etc.) or by sending in a physical copy (CD or flash drive). Any physical copy submitted will not be returned to the applicant. Strong programming portfolios will demonstrate an understanding and ability to use a programming language (C, C#, C++, Java, etc.). By no means is it required to have a strong programming portfolio, as AIE is prepared to teach our students everything they need to know.